My first attempt

[xxxinsanegamerxxx]

I'm attempting to build my very first PC. I've been reading some websites on how to build your own PC. It seems easy by what the authors on the tutorials mentioned. Of course they make it sound easy. I do kow that once you've picked out your processor, the rest is simple? LOL Well I'm looking for a good gaming rig, which would run me no more than $1000 (including shipping. I'm in NC 28734). The only thing that's a requirement is it has to be Core2Quad, with 4 GB of RAM. I don't need a Monitor, Keyboard or mouse. If someone can please assist me here, I'll really appreciate it.Thanks in advance.

[Drum Thumper]

Your best bet is to start with a motherboard selection, look at the board specs, and go from there.

[Pointy_Stick]

Like DrumThumper said, have a look for a motherboard now. You know what you want your processor to be, so look for a mobo that has "Core2Quad compatible" or the like in the description either on the retaillers site or manufacturers. I would also recommend DDR2 ram, as with the growing uptake of DDR3, DDR2 prices are plummeting. Not too sure about the US, but it's really quite cheap here, 4 gb of DDR2 can be had for under AU$200. As for graphics, well, what can I say? It can be a daunting prospect. I went for the ever popular 8800GT in my new computer as everything I've heard about it is good, especially with the price/performance ratio (AU$250). If someone more knowledgeable than me wants to point out some error in that please do so, as I've only recently got into computers too.

Anyway thats my two cents. I'm sure whatever you come up with will be great, and don't forget to post it up here before buying!

Oh yeah, and welcome to the forums (always wanted to do that :D)

[Talon]

Hey Mate,

Building these confusers is pretty easy now :), take your time, be gentle and everything will be sweet.

I did a quick mock up for you based of the prices I get here (Australia)

CPU: Intel CORE 2 Q6600/2.4Ghz/2x4MB/1066FSB/LGA77
MOBO: Intel BLKDG33BUC uATX G33chipset Core 2 Quad & C 2 Duo (1333Mhz FSB)
RAM: DDR2 4(2x2G)PC6400 800Mhz HyperX Kingston(KHX6400D2K2/4G)
VIDEO: XFX GeForce 8600GT XXX 256M Dual DVI TV Out 600Mhz DDR3(PV-T84J-UDD3)
HDD: Western Digital 750G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)
DVD: Pioneer DVR-215BK 20x Dual Black OEM with software- SATA
POWER: Powersupply Antec ATX TruePower 550W TRio

Now presuming you have a case, that comes to a total of $984 AUD - you would have to add shipping on that, but I am pretty sure you guys in the states can get better prices than that.

[Funcoot]

Note, a few of the Core2Duo stock coolers are notorious for being a bitch to seat. The locking mechanism they are is just blah. Then again this is just from personal experience and what others have told me.

And yeah I saw you are getting a Core2Quad, but still figure I'd let you know.

[evomac]

Note, a few of the Core2Duo stock coolers are notorious for being a bitch to seat. The locking mechanism they are is just blah. Then again this is just from personal experience and what others have told me.

And yeah I saw you are getting a Core2Quad, but still figure I'd let you know.

Hey Funcoot. I'm new around here as well and stumbled across your thread. I can tell you that I just received my Q6600 in the mail. If you can squeeze it into your budget, snag a aftermarket cooler. This is for a couple reasons. 1) The stock cooler w. a quad runs EXTREMELY hot. Under load with stock clocks I was ~63°C. I was only able to get it to ~2.8ghz before it hit my threshold of 70°C. This is to note that this wasn't even with the "stock" wax, this is with AS5 applied and it's a cooler running G0 revision

Take a look at a decent cooler. Personally I picked up a TRUE with a 120mm Panaflo M1BX.

When I bought ram I got the Corsair XM2 800mhz 2x2GB ram. Total cost after rebate was ~$89 after rebate.

For video I would personally recomend the 8800 series. Keep a eye on www.slickdeals.net & snag one that fits the bill. GT is ranging from 125-160ish and the G92 GTS is going for 180-230AR. Remember when buying this, make sure it says the G92 chipset. The G80 is the older, lower performing chipset.

For optical drives, goto your favorite e-tailor and pick one out. Now a days, they are a dime-a-dozen. Don't pay more than $30 for these. IDE vs SATA determine your mobo and layout. SATA is technically faster, however the drives are essentially the same speeds.

Motherboard, I personally chose the BFG680iSLI . I got a excellent deal on the motherboard that I couldn't pass up. So far I can't say anything bad about it. Again keep a eye out on those prices. If you can snag it for under $150, I'd say its a worthwhile purchase.

So my layout for you would be (rough estimates of course)
Mobo: 680i (get the LT and save a couple bucks if you dont need the i features)

CPU: Q6600 G0 - $250
Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro $35 - (great all-in-one)
Grease: Arctic Silver 5 - $5 - super important
Video - 8800GT (G92) 512mb $170 or 8800GTS (G92) 512mb $225
Motherboard - 680i $150
Ram - Corsair XM2 2x2GB - $89 After Rebate

Total: Approximately $700 + shipping if you go with GT video card / $755 for GTS.

PS: Saw your other post. Good luck with modding the Rocketfish. I'm really digging that case. Get that puppy all prepped and ready. It's gonna look great painted!

[vastonecat]

My only suggestion is that after you do all your looking for the right pieces that you do a doublecheck on the item you actually order and ensure that it is not an older version of what you want. i.e. I wanted to purchase the MSI K9A2 Platinum but got sidetracked by another dealer for MSI that had a cheaper price and wound up with the MSI K9A Platinum notice there is only one digit difference in the item name but a world of difference in their performance and capabilities. Just be careful.

[blueonblack]

All above is excellent advice. One thing that has not been mentioned that you should consider is to look at motherboard/CPU bundles. If you find a board you like these can save you some cash, I saved about $50 on my latest system buying the two together. Just a thought.
________
Vaporizer forums (http://vaporizer.org/forum)

[halcyonforever]

Second the bundles option. I have always found that to save cash and headaches as you can pretty much guarantee the two will work well together. But you have to look closely at them becuase they will normally slip an economy piece into the combo.

[Luke122]

Definitely include some good quality thermal paste like AS5 (Arctic Silver 5) in your budget, as that can make quite a difference.

As for the stock cooler running hot, I havent seen that issue myself, and I pushed my E8400 up to 3.5ghz without getting too warm! (I'm now running a big Zalman cooler, and not even overclocking.. but it looks cooler..hehe)

Make sure that it's seated nice and evenly, and give it a few days of running to break in the paste before you start clocking it up. Also, if it's still running too hot, you might have too much thermal paste in there.. you should use about a "grain of rice" sized squirt, and spread it around before seating the cooler on there.

As for the hardware list posted above, I'm sure you could get a DVDRW for similar price (they are around $35 CAD where I shop @ memory express (http://www.memoryexpress.com))